


Don't Shut Me Out

by dolliewithasmile



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Horror, M/M, Obsession, Possessive Behavior, Stalking, Suspense, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-09-24
Packaged: 2019-01-04 20:21:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12175905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolliewithasmile/pseuds/dolliewithasmile
Summary: Link happens upon a drunken Rhett on his way home from work, and instantly becomes obsessed with the tall blond.





	Don't Shut Me Out

Link gasped and tugged at his collar, pulling it away from his nervously bobbing adam's apple. Sweat gathered at his brow and his jeans began to get tight near the zipper. He promised himself he wouldn't, every night he had told himself it was the last time, but each night he gave in.  
He pressed his body tight against the bright wall behind him, his body hidden in the darkness from the apartment building in front of him. His eyes gazed at the fourth floor window, his mind swimming as he watched the topless occupant walk past the window, oblivious to the lecherous eyes that had followed him every day for the past three weeks.  
_It had begun innocently enough, he had been walking home after a long night at the office, his joints screamed in pain and his head ached. As he had walked, something had caught his attention, a small flash of light to his right. His legs stopped in their movement and his gaze drifted toward the source of the light. A tall man stumbled toward the steps of an apartment building, using the flashlight on his phone as a guide in the darkness. As he lifted his foot to the first step, his body swayed to the left and he fell to the ground with a small groan._  
_Link gasped and rushed over to him, "Hey, are you okay?" He asked, holding out a hand to the drunken man._  
_Rhett lifted his head with an awkward smile, "Yeah, I had a little too much to drink tonight. Good thing I wasn't driving, huh?" He grabbed the brunette's hand and struggled to his feet with a grunt. "Thanks, man." He patted the shorter man's shoulder._  
_Links breath died in the back of his throat as the tall man's phone light briefly lit up his face. He was beautiful, a true vision. The brunette gulped and offered a kind smile, "You're..welcome.." He whispered and slowly backed away, his heart racing as he watched Rhett walk slowly up the stairs and disappear into the building. He sighed, beating himself up for not giving his number, yet another wasted opportunity._  
_Suddenly, a bright light cut through the darkness. His breath quickened as Rhett appeared in the window, drunkenly swaying from side to side, drawing the bottom of his shirt upwards over his head before casting it aside._  
_Link hid behind a parked car near by, his heart beat so hard he couldn't hear anything, only the quickening of his pulse. As he watched Rhett get undressed the rest of the way, he felt an all too familiar throb between his thighs and he sighed, gripping the side of the car. He hadn't meant to watch, he told himself to close his eyes, to turn around and never come back, but he couldn't, he wouldn't._  
The light in the window went out and he sighed, the show was over, for now. Link walked home uncomfortably in his tight jeans, he couldn't keep doing this, it wasn't enough. After arriving home, he went to his bedroom and flopped backwards onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling as his mind spun. It wasn't enough anymore, he needed him, needed him to know what he was doing to him, needed to feel his skin pressed against his. But how?   
Sure, I could 'happen' upon him, I know his schedule better than my own by now. There was something there, there had to have been! I helped him. He looked at me and smiled, his eyes were bright. He undressed in front of his open window for me to see. He's just waiting for me to make a move.   
Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll do it. I'll run into him. And he'll see.  
The next day, Link had called into work sick, using his best 'flu' voice to convince them he had come down with something. He spent nearly an hour getting ready, he checked his phone, he still had plenty of time to get to the coffee shop on the corner of main street.   
His mind buzzed with excitement when he reached the coffee shop, he peeked in through one of the windows for that telltale mop of lazily styled blond hair, but didn't see it anywhere. He took a deep breath in through his nose and walked toward the door, pushing it open as he breathed out in a huff.  
The brunette nervously tugged at his sleeves, his eyes darting toward the door every few seconds.  
"Can I help you?"   
He looked toward the barista and shook his head, "I'm waiting for someone." He smiled, thankfully the shop wasn't too busy, he didn't want to be rushed.  
"No problem, just let me know when you're ready." She smiled back.  
After checking his phone's clock for about the thirtieth time, he heard the bell above the door ring. Link glanced at the door and his heart jumped, it was him! "Um, I'm ready now." He said and stepped forward to the counter.  
Rhett walked over to the counter and stood behind him, his arms crossed as he squinted up at the menu.  
"Hmm.." Link pressed a finger to his lips as he pretended to eye the menu, in truth he had followed the blond to the shop so many times he knew every single item they sold, even the seasonal ones. He smiled and turned to face the blond behind him, "Hey, um..I've never been here before, is there anything you would recommend?"   
Rhett looked at him with a smile, "Really? This place is the best, it's way better than starbucks." He said with a proud nod, "Do you like coffee that's hot or cold?"  
The brunette looked him up and down, biting his lower lip, "Hot."  
"Then I'd definitely recommend the white chocolate latte. It's one of my favorites, it's actually what I'm ordering." He smiled.  
Link nodded, "Thank you." He turned back to the barista, "I'll have two large white chocolate lattes, please." He handed the woman the money after she punched in the order, and gave the woman a wink and motioned toward Rhett, signalling that he had bought his as well.  
He walked over to the pick up area, leaning against the counter.  
Rhett stepped forward to the counter with a smile, "Hi, I'd like one large-"  
"Oh, it's already taken care of, Sir." She smiled.  
"Huh?"   
"That man bought your latte."   
The blond blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck as he stepped over to the brunette, "Um, thank you, you didn't have to do that."  
Link laughed softly, "It's my pleasure, it's nice to see you on your feet."   
Rhett's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he searched the brunette's eyes and then it clicked. "Oh! You're the guy who helped me that night." He smiled, "I'm sorry about that, I must've looked pretty rough." He glanced away.  
"Oh no, I've seen far worse, trust me." Link laughed and reached his hand forward, "I'm Link."  
The blond took his hand and gave it a firm shake, "Rhett."  
Link smiled, "Nice to meet you, Rhett. Again." He chuckled.  
"You too."  
The barista set their coffees on the counter with a smile.  
"Here you go." Link handed the latte to Rhett, gasping softly when Rhett's fingers brushed across his, his nerves on fire at the gentle touch.  
"Thanks again." Rhett smiled and gave him a nod before turning away.  
"Link."  
Rhett paused and turned, "What?"  
"My name, it's Link."  
Rhett chuckled awkwardly, "Right. Thanks, Link." He said and walked toward the door.   
Link felt his stomach twist, this wasn't how it was supposed to go! Where was he going? He always stopped here for at least fifteen minutes. He quickly grabbed his coffee and rushed out of the cafe, "Hey! Wait up!" He called to the blond.  
Rhett turned, looking around in confusion, "Uh..yeah?"  
"I was wondering, do you maybe wanna go out to dinner tonight, my treat?" Link smiled hopefully.  
"Um, I'm sorry, I have a girlfriend."  
Link's smile dropped, "No, you don't." He scoffed.  
Rhett's eyebrows furrowed, "Listen, I have to get to work, I don't want to be late."   
"But you don't work today." Link stepped forward, his eyes filled with hurt, why was he lying to him?  
"I don't know who the fuck you are, but stay the hell away from me, ok?" Rhett growled, quickly turning and walking away.  
"But-" Link's voice died as the taller man walked away, his hands trembling. Why was he doing this? Couldn't he feel the connection? If only I could make him see.  
He walked home with his shoulders slumped over, defeated. Had I come on too strong? Had I said something wrong? He unlocked his door and pushed it open, worrying his lower lip between his teeth as tears began to well up in his eyes.   
Link sat on the edge of his bed, his fingers absentmindedly tracing circles across the back of his hand where Rhett's fingers had been and he closed his eyes, rocking back and forth with a smile. I felt it. It was electric. I know he felt it too.   
He knew there was only one thing he could do. He had to prove it to him, had to prove their love was real.   
Link took out his phone and opened facebook, searching through all the personal pages marked 'Rhett' in his area until he found him. He smiled at the profile picture, Rhett was with his friends, towering over all of them with a can of beer in one hand and the other sporting a peace sign. That was so like Rhett.   
He lay back in his bed as he swiped through Rhett's photos, his heart pounding with each and every one, there was no way his blond man could look bad, even tired and in sweatpants he was still undeniably beautiful.   
His breath stilled when he came to a picture of Rhett in a garden next to a rose bush and a dozen tiger lilies with the caption: 'Roses and Lilies, mom planted them just for me.  <3'. Link smiled, tears filling his eyes, he looked stunning. Then the idea struck him. He knew what he had to do!   
He searched on his phone for local flower shops, reviewing their webpages until he found an arrangement that took his breath away, it was called: True Love. He dialed the number on the webpage and anxiously drummed his fingers on his knee.   
"Hi, I'd like to order your 'True Love' arrangement, please? Mhm. Mhm. His name is Rhett McLaughlin, the address is 718 Winslow Terrace, apartment 4B. Mhm. Oh! And could you please include a note? I'd like it to say, 'Be mine? Love, Link'." Link gave the number of his credit card and hung up, excitedly bouncing on his bed, "He'll love them!" He squealed with a grin.   
Link waited outside Rhett's apartment the next day, crouched in the alley across from the building, making sure to keep himself well hidden.   
Hours passed before he saw the flower shop's van roll up, he held his breath as he watched the delivery man park the van and carry the flowers to the apartment building.   
The delivery man set the flowers down and pushed the button next to the label that read: '4B - Rhett McLaughlin'. "Hi, I've got a delivery for Rhett McLaughlin."   
Link chewed at his thumb nail while he watched the delivery man. Finally, the main door opened to reveal Rhett topless in christmas themed pajama pants, Link fished out his phone and quickly pushed the 'record' button. Rhett sighed for the flowers and smiled down at them, inhaling the aroma deeply. Link fought back tears and ended the video, stuffing it back into his jean's pocket as he made his way back  home; it was a victory, he had loved the flowers!  
As Rhett pulled back from inhaling the scent of the flowers, he noticed a white card hidden amongst them. He withdrew the card and unfolded it, his smile instantly dropping, he looked around frantically, his eyes filled with panic. His hands shook and he gripped the vase so tightly his knuckles turned white, with a growl he marched barefoot to the alley beside the apartments and slammed the arrangement into the trash.  
Link sat on his couch, smiling at the laptop nestled in his lap as it replayed the video he had taken over and over again. Rhett had loved them, his eyes had lit up the moment he had seen the arrangement, he knew Link had gotten them for him.   
He signed into facebook and looked at Rhett's profile again, refreshing the page every few minutes to see if he had uploaded a picture of the flowers and bragged to all of his friends about how sweet Link was to him yet. But nothing. After two hours, Link's heart began to ache, Rhett was online and he posted every day, but he had been silent for two days straight. Was Rhett afraid to tell people about his relationship?  
Link clicked on the 'message' link and the messenger tab opened.  
'Hey you.'  
He nervously chewed his lip as he looked at the little text at the bottom, 'Rhett McLaughlin is typing'.   
'What do you want?'  
'Did you like the flowers? I know they're your favorite. <3'  
'No! I threw them away! Now please, leave me alone, I'm not interested in you okay??'  
'Why are you trying to hurt me? What did I do wrong??'  
'Leave me alone or I'll call the cops!'  
'Why? I haven't done anything wrong! I love you.'  
'Omg you're sick! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!'  
The messenger tab went quiet, no matter what Link typed, Rhett wouldn't respond. Link refreashed Rhett's profile page but it didn't appear. His eyes widened and he hyperventilated, refreashing the page frantically, "No! No! Rhett!" He screamed in frustration, throwing his laptop to the floor. "Don't shut me out!"  
Link's hands covered his face as he sobbed, his throat burning from his screams and cries. "What did I do wrong?" He whispered to himself, rocking back and forth. He growled and pounded his fists on his knees, his cheeks streaked with tears. He took out his phone and looked at the video of Rhett with the flowers, "You're scared, that's it. Your family and friends don't know about us. It's okay, we'll get through this." He wiped at his cheeks and stood up, adjusting his glasses as he walked out the door.   
Link tugged his sweater tighter around his small frame as he pressed the button to Rhett's apartment, when he heard nothing the first time, he pressed the button three more times.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey you!" Link smiled.  
Rhett's end went silent. Link pressed the button a few more times, but no sound came from Rhett's end.  
Link pushed the button next to 3B, sighing in relief when a woman's voice finally answered.   
"Hello?"  
"Hi! My boyfriend was supposed to buzz me in but I think he fell asleep on me, can you buzz me in please?"  
"Sure thing, hun."  
The speaker made a buzzing sound and Link grinned, grabbing the front door handle and throwing it open, looking up excitedly at the stairs. He took the steps two at a time until he reached the fourth floor, his heart raced when he came face to face with the door labeled '4B'.  
Link's trembling hand hovered at the door, he took a deep breath and knocked gently, leaning to the side away from the peephole. I'm gonna surprise him! He'll be so happy to see me!  
Rhett opened the door, "Yes?" He asked and his eyes widened when he saw Link. "You! What the fuck are you doing here?!"   
Link chuckled, stepping forward. "Oh come on, baby. It's me, you don't have to pretend anymore." He smiled.   
Rhett stepped backwards, his hands held up in defense.  "Look buddy, I don't know what the fuck I did to make you think that I'm interested in you-"  
Link took Rhett's hands in his, pressing them to his cheeks with a contented sigh. "It's okay, I forgive you." He whispered.  
"Rhett?"  
Link's eyes widened and he looked toward the bedroom, a half dressed woman stepping out. His hands dropped and he looked at Rhett with wide eyes, "Who is that?!" He yelled, pointing at her.  
"That's my girlfriend.." Rhett said gently, keeping his hands up in an attempt to seem non-threatening.  
"You don't have a girlfriend!"  
"Yes..I do."  
"No! You're doing this to hurt me!" Link sobbed, his shoulders spasming as he cried.  
"We've been together two months."  
"I've never seen her here." Link growled, shooting daggers at her.  
"Have..you been watching me?" Rhett asked, his eyes wide.   
"You know I have! Every single night you keep the curtains open for me so I can see you."  
"Rhett, what..what's going on?" The woman asked nervously.  
"Baby, just get back in the room, okay?"  
"Don't call her baby!" Link screamed, stepping forward toward Rhett.  
"Listen, I'm sorry if-" Rhett shook his head with a sigh, "I'm sorry if I misled you somehow, but there isn't anything between us, I don't even know you."  
"That's okay, we can fix that! I know everything about you already." Link smiled and held out his hands, desperately grabbing for Rhett's shoulders.  
Rhett pushed his hands away, "I think you need to go. Please."  
Link smacked Rhett's hands away, "This is really not funny Rhett. You can lie to everyone else, I don't care, but don't you dare lie to me! I love you!" He collapsed onto the floor, grabbing at Rhett's pajama pants, "I've never loved anyone so much in my life. The moment I saw you I knew that I loved you. Don't shut me out Rhett. Please. Just love me..please.." He whispered, his voice cracking.  
There was a sudden loud knock at the door. "Mister McLaughlin?"  
Link froze. His head lifted slowly and he looked at the bedroom doorway where the woman once stood, he looked back at Rhett, "She called the cops on me, Rhett. She wants to keep us apart." He stood and marched to the bedroom. He found the woman sitting on the edge of the bed, a phone in her hands. "You!" He growled and drew back his fist.  
"No! You leave her alone!" Rhett tackled Link to the ground, pinning his wrists down.  
Link sniffled and kissed at Rhett's chest and his neck, "Just love me, Rhett, I know you feel it too, you can't deny it!"  
Rhett growled and drew back his right hand, balled it into a fist and thrust it forward, his knuckles collided with Link's nose with a sickening crunch.  
Link sobbed, "Why are you doing this to me?! What did I do?!" He screamed in agony as Rhett's fist connected with his stomach over and over again.  
The cops busted open the front door and swarmed into the bedroom, grabbing Rhett by both his arms and pulling him off of Link's crumpled body.   
"It's okay, I'm not pressing charges, it's just a lover's spat. That's all." Link told the cops as he struggled to get up.  
"My girlfriend called. He's been stalking me for weeks! He's dangerous, he tried to go after my girlfriend!"  
The cops lifted Link to his feet, held his hands behind his back and cuffed him. "Rhett, don't let them take me away! I need you!" He pleaded, fighting against the cops to no avail.  
Rhett held his girlfriend tightly in his arms, pressing kisses to her forehead as the cops dragged Link away, his screams dying out as they left the apartment.   
Link was shoved into the back of the squad car, the skin of his wrists red and blistering from his struggle. He pressed his face to the glass, and he looked up at Rhett's window, the window that had started it all.


End file.
